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Barbosa A, Azevedo NF, Goeres DM, Cerqueira L. Ecology of Legionella pneumophila biofilms: The link between transcriptional activity and the biphasic cycle. Biofilm 2024; 7:100196. [PMID: 38601816 PMCID: PMC11004079 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioflm.2024.100196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
There has been considerable discussion regarding the environmental life cycle of Legionella pneumophila and its virulence potential in natural and man-made water systems. On the other hand, the bacterium's morphogenetic mechanisms within host cells (amoeba and macrophages) have been well documented and are linked to its ability to transition from a non-virulent, replicative state to an infectious, transmissive state. Although the morphogenetic mechanisms associated with the formation and detachment of the L. pneumophila biofilm have also been described, the capacity of the bacteria to multiply extracellularly is not generally accepted. However, several studies have shown genetic pathways within the biofilm that resemble intracellular mechanisms. Understanding the functionality of L. pneumophila cells within a biofilm is fundamental for assessing the ecology and evaluating how the biofilm architecture influences L. pneumophila survival and persistence in water systems. This manuscript provides an overview of the biphasic cycle of L. pneumophila and its implications in associated intracellular mechanisms in amoeba. It also examines the molecular pathways and gene regulation involved in L. pneumophila biofilm formation and dissemination. A holistic analysis of the transcriptional activities in L. pneumophila biofilms is provided, combining the information of intracellular mechanisms in a comprehensive outline. Furthermore, this review discusses the techniques that can be used to study the morphogenetic states of the bacteria within biofilms, at the single cell and population levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Barbosa
- LEPABE – Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
- ALiCE – Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
| | - Nuno F. Azevedo
- LEPABE – Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
- ALiCE – Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
| | - Darla M. Goeres
- LEPABE – Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
- ALiCE – Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
- The Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Laura Cerqueira
- LEPABE – Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
- ALiCE – Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
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Caruso G, Coniglio MA, Laganà P, Fasciana T, Arcoleo G, Arrigo I, Di Carlo P, Palermo M, Giammanco A. Validation of a Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification-Based Kit for the Detection of Legionella pneumophila in Environmental Samples According to ISO/TS 12869:2012. Microorganisms 2024; 12:961. [PMID: 38792790 PMCID: PMC11124444 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12050961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 04/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Legionella pneumophila is a freshwater opportunistic pathogen and the leading cause of severe pneumonia known as Legionnaires' disease. It can be found in all water systems and survives in biofilms, free-living amoebae, and a wide variety of facilities, such as air conditioning and showers in hospitals, hotels and spas. The reference cultural method allows for the isolation and identification in many days, and in addition, it does not detect viable but rather non-culturable bacteria, increasing the risk of infection. In this context, a new LAMP-based (loop-mediated isothermal amplification) kit was developed, allowing for the rapid, sensitive, and labor-saving detection of L. pneumophila. The kit, "Legionella pneumophila Glow", was validated according to ISO/TS 12869:2012, testing sensitivity, inclusivity and exclusivity, and kit robustness. Sensitivity showed that the "Legionella pneumophila Glow" kit can detect up to 28 plasmid copies/µL. Robustness tests showed consistent results, with both contamination levels and the matrices used giving reproducible results. Furthermore, real samples were evaluated to compare the performance of the two methods. The LAMP kit "Legionella pneumophila Glow" proved a useful option for the rapid, efficient, and labor-saving screening of different typologies of water samples, offering significant advantages over the traditional method, as it is characterized by a high sensitivity, ease of use for laboratory testing, and a large reduction in analysis time, making it an asset to official controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgia Caruso
- U.O.C. of Microbiology and Virology, ARNAS “Civico Di Cristina and Benfratelli”, 90127 Palermo, Italy
| | - Maria Anna Coniglio
- Legionella Reference Laboratory, Department of Medical, Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies “G.F. Ingrassia”, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 87, 95123 Catania, Italy;
- Hygiene Complex Operative Unit, A.O.U. Policlinico—Vittorio Emanuele, Via S. Sofia 87, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Pasqualina Laganà
- Legionella Reference Laboratory, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy;
- Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy
| | - Teresa Fasciana
- Legionella Reference Laboratory, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (I.A.); (A.G.)
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy;
| | | | - Ignazio Arrigo
- Legionella Reference Laboratory, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (I.A.); (A.G.)
| | - Paola Di Carlo
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Mario Palermo
- Sicilian Health Department, Public Health and Environmental Risks Service, 90127 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Anna Giammanco
- Legionella Reference Laboratory, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (I.A.); (A.G.)
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy;
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Moreno Y, Moreno-Mesonero L, Soler P, Zornoza A, Soriano A. Influence of drinking water biofilm microbiome on water quality: Insights from a real-scale distribution system. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 921:171086. [PMID: 38382601 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Biofilms, constituting over 95 % of the biomass in drinking water distribution systems, form an ecosystem impacting both the aesthetic and microbiological quality of water. This study investigates the microbiome of biofilms within a real-scale drinking water distribution system in eastern Spain, utilizing amplicon-based metagenomics. Forty-one biofilm samples underwent processing and sequencing to analyze both bacterial and eukaryotic microbiomes, with an assessment of active biomass. Genus-level analysis revealed considerable heterogeneity, with Desulfovibrio, Ralstonia, Bradyrhizobium, Methylocystis, and Bacillus identified as predominant genera. Notably, bacteria associated with corrosion processes, including Desulfovibrio, Sulfuricella, Hyphomicrobium, and Methylobacterium, were prevalent. Potentially pathogenic bacteria such as Helicobacter, Pseudomonas, and Legionella were also detected. Among protozoa, Opisthokonta and Archaeplastida were the most abundant groups in biofilm samples, with potential pathogenic eukaryotes (Acanthamoeba, Naegleria, Blastocystis) identified. Interestingly, no direct correlation between microbiota composition and pipe materials was observed. The study suggests that the usual concentration of free chlorine in bulk water proved insufficient to prevent the presence of undesirable bacteria and protozoa in biofilms, which exhibited a high concentration of active biomass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yolanda Moreno
- Research Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering (IIAMA), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022, Valencia, Spain.
| | - Laura Moreno-Mesonero
- Research Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering (IIAMA), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022, Valencia, Spain
| | - Patricia Soler
- Empresa Mixta Valenciana de Aguas, S.A. (EMIVASA), Av. del Regne de València, 28, 46005, Valencia, Spain
| | - Andrés Zornoza
- Research Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering (IIAMA), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022, Valencia, Spain; H2OCITIES, SL, Arte Mayor de la Seda, 15, 46950 Xirivella, Valencia, Spain
| | - Adela Soriano
- Empresa Mixta Valenciana de Aguas, S.A. (EMIVASA), Av. del Regne de València, 28, 46005, Valencia, Spain
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Zhang M, Zhao B, Yan Y, Cheng Z, Li Z, Han L, Sun Y, Zheng Y, Xia Y. Comamonas-dominant microbial community in carbon poor aquitard sediments revealed by metagenomic-based growth rate investigation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:169203. [PMID: 38086476 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
The microbiological ecology of a low-nutrient shallow aquifer with high arsenic content in the Yinchuan Plain was investigated in this study. Amplicon sequencing data from five samples (depths: 1.5 m, 3.5 m, 11.2 m, 19.3 m, and 25.5 m) revealed diverse and adaptable microbial community. Among the microbial community, Comamonas was the most prominent, accounting for 10.52 % of the total. This genus displayed high growth rates, with a maximum growth rate of 12.06 d-1 and a corresponding doubling time of 1.38 days, as determined through an analysis of codon usage bias. Functional annotation of Metagenome-Assembled Genomes (MAGs) for samples at 1.5 m and 11.2 m depths revealed Comamonas' metabolic versatility, including various carbon pathways, assimilative sulfate reduction (ASR), and dissimilatory reduction to ammonium (DNRA). The TPM (Transcripts Per Kilobase of exon model per Million mapped reads) of MAGs at 11.2 m sample was 15.7 and 12.3. The presence of arsenic resistance genes in Comamonas aligns with sediment arsenic levels (65.8 mg/kg for 1.5 m depth, 32.8 mg/kg for 11.2 m depth). This study highlights the role of Comamonas as a 'generalist' bacteria in challenging oligotrophic sediments, emphasizing the significance of such organisms in community stability and ecological functions. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATION: Low-biomass limits the microbial activity and biogeochemical study in oligotrophic environments, which is the typical condition for underground aquatic ecosystems. Facilitated by growth rate estimation, our research focuses on active functional microorganisms and their biogeochemical metabolic in oligotrophic aquifer sediments, revealing their impact on the environment and response to arsenic threats. Findings illuminate the metabolic advantage of a 'generalist life-style' in carbon-scarce environments and contribute to a broader understanding of bacterial ecosystems and environmental impacts in oligotrophic aquifer sediments worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miao Zhang
- School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Bixi Zhao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yuxi Yan
- School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Zhanwen Cheng
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Zengyi Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Long Han
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yuqin Sun
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yan Zheng
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
| | - Yu Xia
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
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Oder M, Piletić K, Fink R, Marijanović Z, Krištof R, Bićanić L, Tomić Linšak D, Gobin I. A synergistic anti-bacterial and anti-adhesion activity of tea tree ( Melaleuca alternifolia) and lemon eucalyptus tree ( Eucalyptus citriodora Hook) essential oils on Legionella pneumophila. BIOFOULING 2024; 40:54-63. [PMID: 38353250 DOI: 10.1080/08927014.2024.2310482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Legionella pneumophila is a Gram-negative bacterial pathogen that colonizes natural and artificial water systems and has the ability to form a biofilm. The biofilm protects L. pneumophila from various environmental factors and makes it more resistant to chlorine-based disinfectants. This study investigated the anti-bacterial properties of tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia (Maiden and Betche) Cheel) oil and lemon eucalyptus tree (Eucalyptus citriodora Hook) essential oils (EOs) and their synergistic, additive inhibitory and anti-adhesive effects against L. pneumophila biofilm formation on polystyrene. The minimum effective concentration (MEC) for tea tree is 12.8 mg ml-1 and for lemon eucalyptus tree EO 6.4 mg ml-1. In the checkerboard assay, different combinations of these two EO show synergistic and additive anti-microbial activity. The minimum anti-adhesive concentration (MAC) for tea tree is 12.8 mg ml-1 and for lemon eucalyptus tree EO 6.4 mg ml-1. A combination of 3.2 mg ml-1 tea tree EO and 0.8 mg ml-1 lemon eucalyptus tree EO showed the strongest anti-adhesive effect against L. pneumophila on polystyrene. The tested oils and their combination showed intriguing potential to inhibit L. pneumophila biofilm formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Oder
- Department of Sanitary Engineering, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Kaća Piletić
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Rok Fink
- Department of Sanitary Engineering, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Zvonimir Marijanović
- Department of Food Technology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry and Technology, University of Split, Split, Croatia
| | - Romana Krištof
- Department of Sanitary Engineering, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Lucija Bićanić
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Dijana Tomić Linšak
- Department for Health Ecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Ivana Gobin
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
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Holland M, Farinella DN, Cruz-Lorenzo E, Laubscher MI, Doakes DA, Ramos MA, Kubota N, Levin TC. L. pneumophila resists its self-harming metabolite HGA via secreted factors and collective peroxide scavenging. mBio 2023; 14:e0120723. [PMID: 37728338 PMCID: PMC10653783 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01207-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Before environmental opportunistic pathogens can infect humans, they must first successfully grow and compete with other microbes in nature, often via secreted antimicrobials. We previously discovered that the bacterium Legionella pneumophila, the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease, can compete with other microbes via a secreted molecule called HGA. Curiously, L. pneumophila strains that produce HGA is not wholly immune to its toxicity, making it a mystery how these bacteria can withstand the "friendly fire" of potentially self-targeting antimicrobials during inter-bacterial battles. Here, we identify several strategies that allow the high-density bacterial populations that secrete HGA to tolerate its effects. Our study clarifies how HGA works. It also points to some explanations of why it is difficult to disinfect L. pneumophila from the built environment and prevent disease outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mische Holland
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Danielle N. Farinella
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Emily Cruz-Lorenzo
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Madelyn I. Laubscher
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Darian A. Doakes
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Maria A. Ramos
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Nanami Kubota
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Tera C. Levin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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Gomez-Alvarez V, Ryu H, Tang M, McNeely M, Muhlen C, Urbanic M, Williams D, Lytle D, Boczek L. Assessing residential activity in a home plumbing system simulator: monitoring the occurrence and relationship of major opportunistic pathogens and phagocytic amoebas. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1260460. [PMID: 37915853 PMCID: PMC10616306 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1260460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Opportunistic premise plumbing pathogens (OPPPs) have been detected in buildings' plumbing systems causing waterborne disease outbreaks in the United States. In this study, we monitored the occurrence of OPPPs along with free-living amoeba (FLA) and investigated the effects of residential activities in a simulated home plumbing system (HPS). Water samples were collected from various locations in the HPS and analyzed for three major OPPPs: Legionella pneumophila, nontuberculous mycobacterial species (e.g., Mycobacterium avium, M. intracellulare, and M. abscessus), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa along with two groups of amoebas (Acanthamoeba and Vermamoeba vermiformis). A metagenomic approach was also used to further characterize the microbial communities. Results show that the microbial community is highly diverse with evidence of spatial and temporal structuring influenced by environmental conditions. L. pneumophila was the most prevalent pathogen (86% of samples), followed by M. intracellulare (66%) and P. aeruginosa (21%). Interestingly, M. avium and M. abscessus were not detected in any samples. The data revealed a relatively low prevalence of Acanthamoeba spp. (4%), while V. vermiformis was widely detected (81%) across all the sampling locations within the HPS. Locations with a high concentration of L. pneumophila and M. intracellulare coincided with the highest detection of V. vermiformis, suggesting the potential growth of both populations within FLA and additional protection in drinking water. After a period of stagnation lasting at least 2-weeks, the concentrations of OPPPs and amoeba immediately increased and then decreased gradually back to the baseline. Furthermore, monitoring the microbial population after drainage of the hot water tank and partial drainage of the entire HPS demonstrated no significant mitigation of the selected OPPPs. This study demonstrates that these organisms can adjust to their environment during such events and may survive in biofilms and/or grow within FLA, protecting them from stressors in the supplied water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vicente Gomez-Alvarez
- Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Hodon Ryu
- Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Min Tang
- Oak Ridge for Science and Education Research Fellow at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Morgan McNeely
- Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Christy Muhlen
- Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Megan Urbanic
- Oak Ridge for Science and Education Research Fellow at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Daniel Williams
- Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Darren Lytle
- Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Laura Boczek
- Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH, United States
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Lee J, Lee S, Hu C, Marion JW. Beyond cyanotoxins: increased Legionella, antibiotic resistance genes in western Lake Erie water and disinfection-byproducts in their finished water. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1233327. [PMID: 37700867 PMCID: PMC10493389 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1233327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Western Lake Erie is suffering from harmful cyanobacterial blooms, primarily toxic Microcystis spp., affecting the ecosystem, water safety, and the regional economy. Continued bloom occurrence has raised concerns about public health implications. However, there has been no investigation regarding the potential increase of Legionella and antibiotic resistance genes in source water, and disinfection byproducts in municipal treated drinking water caused by these bloom events. Methods Over 2 years, source water (total n = 118) and finished water (total n = 118) samples were collected from drinking water plants situated in western Lake Erie (bloom site) and central Lake Erie (control site). Bloom-related parameters were determined, such as microcystin (MC), toxic Microcystis, total organic carbon, N, and P. Disinfection byproducts (DBPs) [total trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs)] were assessed in finished water. Genetic markers for Legionella, antibiotic resistance genes, and mobile genetic elements were quantified in source and finished waters. Results Significantly higher levels of MC-producing Microcystis were observed in the western Lake Erie site compared to the control site. Analysis of DBPs revealed significantly elevated THMs concentrations at the bloom site, while HAAs concentrations remained similar between the two sites. Legionella spp. levels were significantly higher in the bloom site, showing a significant relationship with total cyanobacteria. Abundance of ARGs (tetQ and sul1) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were also significantly higher at the bloom site. Discussion Although overall abundance decreased in finished water, relative abundance of ARGs and MGE among total bacteria increased after treatment, particularly at the bloom site. The findings underscore the need for ongoing efforts to mitigate bloom frequency and intensity in the lake. Moreover, optimizing water treatment processes during bloom episodes is crucial to maintain water quality. The associations observed between bloom conditions, ARGs, and Legionella, necessitate future investigations into the potential enhancement of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and Legionella spp. due to blooms, both in lake environments and drinking water distribution systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiyoung Lee
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
- Department of Food Science and Technology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
- Infectious Diseases Institute, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Seungjun Lee
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Pukyong National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Chenlin Hu
- College of Pharmacy, University of Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Jason W. Marion
- Department of Public Health and Clinical Sciences, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY, United States
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Campaña M, Del Hoyo R, Monleón-Getino A, Checa J. Predicting Legionella contamination in cooling towers and evaporative condensers from microbiological and physicochemical parameters. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2023; 248:114117. [PMID: 36708652 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2023.114117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Inhalation of Legionella-containing aerosols generated by cooling towers (CT) and evaporative condensers (EC) where water risk management is not performed correctly has been linked to a high percentage of community outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease (LD). Likewise, microbiological and physicochemical characteristics of the water in these facilities have been associated with this bacterium. The main aim of this study was to assess the risk of Legionella colonization in CT and EC based on the data for microbiological and physicochemical water quality provided by the Environmental Health Department and Laboratory of the City Council of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat (Barcelona, Spain). METHODS Legionella was analysed in 789 samples collected from 127 CT and EC in 46 companies in Catalonia from 2002 to 2019. A two-step logistic regression analysis was carried out to assess the risk of colonization by Legionella in the studied facilities according to the microbiological (aerobic heterotrophic bacteria) and physicochemical (pH, alkalinity, hardness, turbidity, conductivity, total iron and Langelier Index) water parameters. The optimal cut-off points for the water parameters predictive of Legionella contamination were defined as the values on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve where sensitivity and specificity were jointly maximized. RESULTS Legionella was isolated in 8.49% of the 789 analysed samples, 22.39% of which were heavily contaminated (with counts higher than 1.0 × 104 CFU/l). L. pneumophila was isolated in 82.09% of the samples, with 41.82% belonging to serogroup 1. Logistic regression analysis revealed that aerobic heterotrophic bacteria concentrations ≥6.90 × 102 CFU/ml [Odds ratios (OR) (95% CI) = 3.56 (1.39-9.43), p = 0.01], a pH ≥ 8.70 [OR (95% CI) = 3.60 (1.34-10.09), p = 0.01], and water hardness ≥5.72 × 102 mg/l [OR (95% CI) = 6.30 (2.34-18.56), p < 0.001] were each independently associated with a higher risk of CT and EC colonization by Legionella. CONCLUSIONS The present study shows the importance of risk assessment for improving the control measures aimed at preventing or reducing Legionella populations in CT and EC, thus minimizing potential dangers for public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Campaña
- BIOST(3). GRBIO. Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics (Section of Statistics), Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 645, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Rafael Del Hoyo
- Environmental Health Department and Laboratory, City Council of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Cobalt Building. Cobalt Street, 57-59, 2nd Floor, 08907, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Antonio Monleón-Getino
- BIOST(3). GRBIO. Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics (Section of Statistics), Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 645, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Javier Checa
- Environmental Health Department and Laboratory, City Council of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Cobalt Building. Cobalt Street, 57-59, 2nd Floor, 08907, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
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10
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Capuano R, Mansi A, Paba E, Marcelloni AM, Chiominto A, Proietto AR, Gordiani A, Catini A, Paolesse R, Tranfo G, Di Natale C. A Pilot Study for Legionella pneumophila Volatilome Characterization Using a Gas Sensor Array and GC/MS Techniques. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 23:1401. [PMID: 36772440 PMCID: PMC9920052 DOI: 10.3390/s23031401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Legionellosis is a generic term describing the pneumonic (Legionnaires' disease, LD) and non-pneumonic (Pontiac fever, PF) forms of infection with bacteria belonging to the genus Legionella. Currently, the techniques used to detect Legionella spp. in water samples have certain limitations and drawbacks, and thus, there is a need to identify new tools to carry out low-cost and rapid analysis. In this regard, several studies demonstrated that a volatolomics approach rapidly detects and discriminates different species of microorganisms via their volatile signature. In this paper, the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) pattern emitted in vitro by Legionella pneumophila cultures is characterized and compared to those produced by other Legionella species and by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, using a gas sensor array and gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GC-MS). Bacterial cultures were measured at the 3rd and 7th day after the incubation. Sensor array data analyzed via the K-nearest neighbours (k-NN) algorithm showed a sensitivity to Legionella pneumophila identification at around 89%. On the other hand, GC-MS identified a bouquet of VOCs, mainly alcohols and ketones, that enable the differentiation of Legionella pneumophila in respect to other waterborne microorganisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosamaria Capuano
- Department of Electronic Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
- Interdepartmental Centre for Volatilomics ‘A. D’Amico’, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonella Mansi
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, Italian Workers’ Compensation Authority (INAIL), Via Fontana Candida 1, Monte Porzio Catone, 00078 Rome, Italy
| | - Emilia Paba
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, Italian Workers’ Compensation Authority (INAIL), Via Fontana Candida 1, Monte Porzio Catone, 00078 Rome, Italy
| | - Anna Maria Marcelloni
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, Italian Workers’ Compensation Authority (INAIL), Via Fontana Candida 1, Monte Porzio Catone, 00078 Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandra Chiominto
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, Italian Workers’ Compensation Authority (INAIL), Via Fontana Candida 1, Monte Porzio Catone, 00078 Rome, Italy
| | - Anna Rita Proietto
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, Italian Workers’ Compensation Authority (INAIL), Via Fontana Candida 1, Monte Porzio Catone, 00078 Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Gordiani
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, Italian Workers’ Compensation Authority (INAIL), Via Fontana Candida 1, Monte Porzio Catone, 00078 Rome, Italy
| | - Alexandro Catini
- Department of Electronic Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
- Interdepartmental Centre for Volatilomics ‘A. D’Amico’, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Roberto Paolesse
- Interdepartmental Centre for Volatilomics ‘A. D’Amico’, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
- Department of Chemical Science and Technology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanna Tranfo
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, Italian Workers’ Compensation Authority (INAIL), Via Fontana Candida 1, Monte Porzio Catone, 00078 Rome, Italy
| | - Corrado Di Natale
- Department of Electronic Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
- Interdepartmental Centre for Volatilomics ‘A. D’Amico’, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
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11
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Hay A, Rolland S, Bernard C, Héchard Y, Villéger R, Samba-Louaka A. Proteomic analysis of Acanthamoeba castellanii response to Legionella pneumophila infection. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2023; 370:fnad086. [PMID: 37653467 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnad086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Legionella pneumophila is an opportunistic pathogen responsible for Legionnaires' disease or Legionellosis. This bacterium is found in the environment interacting with free-living amoebae such as Acanthamoeba castellanii. Until now, proteomic analyses have been done in amoebae infected with L. pneumophila but focused on the Legionella-containing vacuole. In this study, we propose a global proteomic analysis of the A. castellanii proteome following infection with L. pneumophila wild-type (WT) or with an isogenic ΔdotA mutant strain, which is unable to replicate intracellularly. We found that infection with L. pneumophila WT leads to reduced levels of A. castellanii proteins associated with lipid homeostasis/metabolism, GTPase regulation, and kinase. The levels of organelle-associated proteins were also decreased during infection. Legionellapneumophila WT infection leads to increased levels of proteins associated with polyubiquitination, folding or degradation, and antioxidant activities. This study reinforces our knowledge of this too little explored but so fundamental interaction between L. pneumophila and A. castellanii, to understand how the bacterium could resist amoeba digestion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alban Hay
- Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, UMR CNRS 7267, Université de Poitiers, 86073 Poitiers, France
| | - Steven Rolland
- Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, UMR CNRS 7267, Université de Poitiers, 86073 Poitiers, France
| | - Clément Bernard
- Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, UMR CNRS 7267, Université de Poitiers, 86073 Poitiers, France
| | - Yann Héchard
- Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, UMR CNRS 7267, Université de Poitiers, 86073 Poitiers, France
| | - Romain Villéger
- Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, UMR CNRS 7267, Université de Poitiers, 86073 Poitiers, France
| | - Ascel Samba-Louaka
- Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, UMR CNRS 7267, Université de Poitiers, 86073 Poitiers, France
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12
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Chawich J, Hassen WM, Singh A, Marquez DT, DeRosa MC, Dubowski JJ. Polymer Brushes on GaAs and GaAs/AlGaAs Nanoheterostructures: A Promising Platform for Attractive Detection of Legionella pneumophila. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:33349-33357. [PMID: 36157789 PMCID: PMC9494436 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c03959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
This work reports on the potential of polymer brushes (PBs) grown on GaAs substrates (PB-GaAs) as a promising platform for the detection of Legionella pneumophila (Lp). Three functionalization approaches of the GaAs surface were used, and their compatibility with antibodies against Lp was evaluated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy. The incorporation of PBs on GaAs has allowed a significant improvement of the antibody immobilization by increased surface coverage. Bacterial capture experiments demonstrated the promising potential for enhanced immobilization of Lp in comparison with the conventional alkanethiol self-assembled monolayer-based biosensing architectures. Consistent with an eightfold improved capture of bacteria on the surface of a PB-functionalized GaAs/AlGaAs digital photocorrosion biosensor, we report the attractive detection of Lp at 500 CFU/mL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Chawich
- Interdisciplinary
Institute for Technological Innovation (3IT), CNRS UMI-3463, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec J1K 0A5, Canada
| | - Walid M. Hassen
- Interdisciplinary
Institute for Technological Innovation (3IT), CNRS UMI-3463, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec J1K 0A5, Canada
| | - Amanpreet Singh
- Interdisciplinary
Institute for Technological Innovation (3IT), CNRS UMI-3463, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec J1K 0A5, Canada
| | - Daniela T. Marquez
- Interdisciplinary
Institute for Technological Innovation (3IT), CNRS UMI-3463, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec J1K 0A5, Canada
- Department
of Chemistry, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Maria C. DeRosa
- Department
of Chemistry, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Jan J. Dubowski
- Interdisciplinary
Institute for Technological Innovation (3IT), CNRS UMI-3463, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec J1K 0A5, Canada
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13
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Faucher SP, Matthews S, Nickzad A, Vounba P, Shetty D, Bédard É, Prévost M, Déziel E, Paranjape K. Toxoflavin secreted by Pseudomonas alcaliphila inhibits the growth of Legionella pneumophila and Vermamoeba vermiformis. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 216:118328. [PMID: 35364354 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Legionella pneumophila is a natural inhabitant of water systems. From there, it can be transmitted to humans by aerosolization resulting in severe pneumonia. Most large outbreaks are caused by cooling towers colonized with L. pneumophila. The resident microbiota of the cooling tower is a key determinant for the colonization and growth of L. pneumophila. In our preceding study, the genus Pseudomonas correlated negatively with the presence of L. pneumophila in cooling towers, but it was not clear which species was responsible. Therefore, we identified the Pseudomonas species inhabiting 14 cooling towers using a Pseudomonas-specific 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing strategy. We found that cooling towers that are free of L. pneumophila contained a high relative abundance of members from the Pseudomonas alcaliphila/oleovorans phylogenetic cluster. P. alcaliphila JCM 10630 inhibited the growth of L. pneumophila on agar plates. Analysis of the P. alcaliphila genome revealed the presence of a gene cluster predicted to produce toxoflavin. L. pneumophila growth was inhibited by pure toxoflavin and by extracts from P. alcaliphila culture found to contain toxoflavin by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. In addition, toxoflavin inhibits the growth of Vermameoba vermiformis, a host cell of L. pneumophila. Our study indicates that P. alcaliphila may be important to restrict growth of L. pneumophila in water systems through the production of toxoflavin. A sufficiently high concentration of toxoflavin is likely not achieved in the bulk water but might have a local inhibitory effect such as near or in biofilms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastien P Faucher
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Sara Matthews
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Arvin Nickzad
- Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Laval, QC, Canada
| | - Passoret Vounba
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Deeksha Shetty
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Émilie Bédard
- Department of Civil Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Michele Prévost
- Department of Civil Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Eric Déziel
- Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Laval, QC, Canada
| | - Kiran Paranjape
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada; Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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14
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Filice S, Sciuto EL, Scalese S, Faro G, Libertino S, Corso D, Timpanaro RM, Laganà P, Coniglio MA. Innovative Antibiofilm Smart Surface against Legionella for Water Systems. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10050870. [PMID: 35630315 PMCID: PMC9144790 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10050870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Legionella pneumophila contamination of water systems is a crucial issue for public health. The pathogen is able to persist in water as free-living planktonic bacteria or to grow within biofilms that adhere to and clog filters and pipes in a water system, reducing its lifespan and, in the case of hospital buildings, increasing the risk of nosocomial infections. The implementation of water management is considered to be the main prevention measure and can be achieved from the optimization of water system architecture, notably introducing new materials and strategies to contrast Legionella biofilm proliferation and so prolong the water system functionality. In this research, we propose a new smart surface against L. pneumophila biofilm formation. This is based on an innovative type of coating consisting of a sulfonated pentablock copolymer (s-PBC, commercially named Nexar™) deposited on top of a polypropylene (PP) coupon in a sandwich filter model. The covering of PP with s-PBC results in a more hydrophilic, acid, and negatively charged surface that induces microbial physiological inhibition thereby preventing adhesion and/or proliferation attempts of L. pneumophila prior to the biofilm formation. The antibiofilm property has been investigated by a Zone of Inhibition test and an in vitro biofilm formation analysis. Filtration tests have been performed as representative of possible applications for s-PBC coating. Results are reported and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Filice
- Istituto per la Microelettronica e Microsistemi-Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR-IMM), Ottava Strada 5, 95121 Catania, Italy; (S.F.); (S.S.); (S.L.); (D.C.); (M.A.C.)
| | - Emanuele Luigi Sciuto
- Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Policlinico “G. Rodolico-San Marco”, Via S. Sofia 78, 95123 Catania, Italy;
- Correspondence:
| | - Silvia Scalese
- Istituto per la Microelettronica e Microsistemi-Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR-IMM), Ottava Strada 5, 95121 Catania, Italy; (S.F.); (S.S.); (S.L.); (D.C.); (M.A.C.)
| | - Giuseppina Faro
- Azienda Sanitaria Provinciale di Catania, Via S. Maria La Grande 5, 95124 Catania, Italy;
| | - Sebania Libertino
- Istituto per la Microelettronica e Microsistemi-Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR-IMM), Ottava Strada 5, 95121 Catania, Italy; (S.F.); (S.S.); (S.L.); (D.C.); (M.A.C.)
| | - Domenico Corso
- Istituto per la Microelettronica e Microsistemi-Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR-IMM), Ottava Strada 5, 95121 Catania, Italy; (S.F.); (S.S.); (S.L.); (D.C.); (M.A.C.)
| | - Rosario Manuel Timpanaro
- Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Policlinico “G. Rodolico-San Marco”, Via S. Sofia 78, 95123 Catania, Italy;
| | - Pasqualina Laganà
- Regional Reference Laboratory of Clinical and Environmental Surveillance of Legionellosis, Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, Torre Biologica 3p, AOU ‘G. Martino’, University of Messina, Via C. Valeria, S.N.C., 98125 Messina, Italy;
| | - Maria Anna Coniglio
- Istituto per la Microelettronica e Microsistemi-Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR-IMM), Ottava Strada 5, 95121 Catania, Italy; (S.F.); (S.S.); (S.L.); (D.C.); (M.A.C.)
- Regional Reference Laboratory of Clinical and Environmental Surveillance of Legionellosis, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies “G.F. Ingrassia”, University of Catania, Via Sofia 87, 95123 Catania, Italy
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15
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Mayank, Sidhu JS, Joshi G, Sindhu J, Kaur N, Singh N. Structural Diversity of D‐Alanine: D‐Alanine Ligase and Its Exploration in Development of Antibacterial Agents Against the Multi‐Variant Bacterial Infections. ChemistrySelect 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/slct.202104373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mayank
- Department of Chemistry Indian Institute of Technology Ropar Punjab 140001 India
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences Lovely Professional University Phagwara India
| | - Jagpreet Singh Sidhu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products School of Health Science Central University of Punjab Bathinda 151 001 India
| | - Gaurav Joshi
- School of Pharmacy Graphic Era Hill University Dehradun Uttarakhand India
| | - Jayant Sindhu
- Department of Chemistry COBS&H CCS Haryana Agricultural University Hisar 125004 India
| | - Navneet Kaur
- Department of Chemistry Panjab University Chandigarh 160014 India
| | - Narinder Singh
- Department of Chemistry Indian Institute of Technology Ropar Punjab 140001 India
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16
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Selective Detection of Legionella pneumophila Serogroup 1 and 5 with a Digital Photocorrosion Biosensor Using Antimicrobial Peptide-Antibody Sandwich Strategy. BIOSENSORS 2022; 12:bios12020105. [PMID: 35200365 PMCID: PMC8869675 DOI: 10.3390/bios12020105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Rapid detection of Legionella pneumophila (L. pneumophila) is important for monitoring the presence of these bacteria in water sources and preventing the transmission of the Legionnaires’ disease. We report improved biosensing of L. pneumophila with a digital photocorrosion (DIP) biosensor functionalized with an innovative structure of cysteine-modified warnericin antimicrobial peptides for capturing bacteria that are subsequently decorated with anti-L. pneumophila polyclonal antibodies (pAbs). The application of peptides for the operation of a biosensing device was enabled by the higher bacterial-capture efficiency of peptides compared to other traditional ligands, such as those based on antibodies or aptamers. At the same time, the significantly stronger affinity of pAbs decorating the L. pneumophila serogroup-1 (SG-1) compared to serogroup-5 (SG-5) allowed for the selective detection of L. pneumophila SG-1 at 50 CFU/mL. The results suggest that the attractive sensitivity of the investigated sandwich method is related to the flow of an extra electric charge between the pAb and a charge-sensing DIP biosensor. The method has the potential to offer highly specific and sensitive detection of L. pneumophila as well as other pathogenic bacteria and viruses.
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17
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Talapko J, Frauenheim E, Juzbašić M, Tomas M, Matić S, Jukić M, Samardžić M, Škrlec I. Legionella pneumophila-Virulence Factors and the Possibility of Infection in Dental Practice. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10020255. [PMID: 35208710 PMCID: PMC8879694 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10020255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Legionella pneumophila is defined as a bacterium that can cause severe pneumonia. It is found in the natural environment and in water, and is often found in water tanks. It can be an integral part of biofilms in nature, and the protozoa in which it can live provide it with food and protect it from harmful influences; therefore, it has the ability to move into a sustainable but uncultured state (VBNC). L. pneumophila has been shown to cause infections in dental practices. The most common transmission route is aerosol generated in dental office water systems, which can negatively affect patients and healthcare professionals. The most common way of becoming infected with L. pneumophila in a dental office is through water from dental instruments, and the dental unit. In addition to these bacteria, patients and the dental team may be exposed to other harmful bacteria and viruses. Therefore, it is vital that the dental team regularly maintains and decontaminates the dental unit, and sterilizes all accessories that come with it. In addition, regular water control in dental offices is necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasminka Talapko
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, HR-31000 Osijek, Croatia; (J.T.); (E.F.); (M.J.); (M.T.); (S.M.); (M.J.); (M.S.)
| | - Erwin Frauenheim
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, HR-31000 Osijek, Croatia; (J.T.); (E.F.); (M.J.); (M.T.); (S.M.); (M.J.); (M.S.)
| | - Martina Juzbašić
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, HR-31000 Osijek, Croatia; (J.T.); (E.F.); (M.J.); (M.T.); (S.M.); (M.J.); (M.S.)
| | - Matej Tomas
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, HR-31000 Osijek, Croatia; (J.T.); (E.F.); (M.J.); (M.T.); (S.M.); (M.J.); (M.S.)
| | - Suzana Matić
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, HR-31000 Osijek, Croatia; (J.T.); (E.F.); (M.J.); (M.T.); (S.M.); (M.J.); (M.S.)
- Faculty of Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Josipa Huttlera 4, HR-31000 Osijek, Croatia
| | - Melita Jukić
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, HR-31000 Osijek, Croatia; (J.T.); (E.F.); (M.J.); (M.T.); (S.M.); (M.J.); (M.S.)
- General Hospital Vukovar, Županijska 35, HR-32000 Vukovar, Croatia
| | - Marija Samardžić
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, HR-31000 Osijek, Croatia; (J.T.); (E.F.); (M.J.); (M.T.); (S.M.); (M.J.); (M.S.)
| | - Ivana Škrlec
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, HR-31000 Osijek, Croatia; (J.T.); (E.F.); (M.J.); (M.T.); (S.M.); (M.J.); (M.S.)
- Correspondence:
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18
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Zhang C, Lu J. Legionella: A Promising Supplementary Indicator of Microbial Drinking Water Quality in Municipal Engineered Water Systems. FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE 2021; 9:1-22. [PMID: 35004706 PMCID: PMC8740890 DOI: 10.3389/fenvs.2021.684319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Opportunistic pathogens (OPs) are natural inhabitants and the predominant disease causative biotic agents in municipal engineered water systems (EWSs). In EWSs, OPs occur at high frequencies and concentrations, cause drinking-water-related disease outbreaks, and are a major factor threatening public health. Therefore, the prevalence of OPs in EWSs represents microbial drinking water quality. Closely or routinely monitoring the dynamics of OPs in municipal EWSs is thus critical to ensuring drinking water quality and protecting public health. Monitoring the dynamics of conventional (fecal) indicators (e.g., total coliforms, fecal coliforms, and Escherichia coli) is the customary or even exclusive means of assessing microbial drinking water quality. However, those indicators infer only fecal contamination due to treatment (e.g., disinfection within water utilities) failure and EWS infrastructure issues (e.g., water main breaks and infiltration), whereas OPs are not contaminants in drinking water. In addition, those indicators appear in EWSs at low concentrations (often absent in well-maintained EWSs) and are uncorrelated with OPs. For instance, conventional indicators decay, while OPs regrow with increasing hydraulic residence time. As a result, conventional indicators are poor indicators of OPs (the major aspect of microbial drinking water quality) in EWSs. An additional or supplementary indicator that can well infer the prevalence of OPs in EWSs is highly needed. This systematic review argues that Legionella as a dominant OP-containing genus and natural inhabitant in EWSs is a promising candidate for such a supplementary indicator. Through comprehensively comparing the behavior (i.e., occurrence, growth and regrowth, spatiotemporal variations in concentrations, resistance to disinfectant residuals, and responses to physicochemical water quality parameters) of major OPs (e.g., Legionella especially L. pneumophila, Mycobacterium, and Pseudomonas especially P. aeruginosa), this review proves that Legionella is a promising supplementary indicator for the prevalence of OPs in EWSs while other OPs lack this indication feature. Legionella as a dominant natural inhabitant in EWSs occurs frequently, has a high concentration, and correlates with more microbial and physicochemical water quality parameters than other common OPs. Legionella and OPs in EWSs share multiple key features such as high disinfectant resistance, biofilm formation, proliferation within amoebae, and significant spatiotemporal variations in concentrations. Therefore, the presence and concentration of Legionella well indicate the presence and concentrations of OPs (especially L. pneumophila) and microbial drinking water quality in EWSs. In addition, Legionella concentration indicates the efficacies of disinfectant residuals in EWSs. Furthermore, with the development of modern Legionella quantification methods (especially quantitative polymerase chain reactions), monitoring Legionella in ESWs is becoming easier, more affordable, and less labor-intensive. Those features make Legionella a proper supplementary indicator for microbial drinking water quality (especially the prevalence of OPs) in EWSs. Water authorities may use Legionella and conventional indicators in combination to more comprehensively assess microbial drinking water quality in municipal EWSs. Future work should further explore the indication role of Legionella in EWSs and propose drinking water Legionella concentration limits that indicate serious public health effects and require enhanced treatment (e.g., booster disinfection).
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiqian Zhang
- Pegasus Technical Services, Inc., Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Jingrang Lu
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH, United States
- Correspondence: Jingrang Lu,
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19
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Complete Genomic Sequence of the Clinical Isolate Legionella pneumophila Serogroup 1 Strain 80-045 from Japan. Microbiol Resour Announc 2021; 10:e0082221. [PMID: 34734762 PMCID: PMC8567780 DOI: 10.1128/mra.00822-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
We report the complete genomic sequence of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 strain 80-045, isolated from autopsy lung tissue of the first patient diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease in Japan.
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20
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Nascimento DC, Viacava PR, Ferreira RG, Damaceno MA, Piñeros AR, Melo PH, Donate PB, Toller-Kawahisa JE, Zoppi D, Veras FP, Peres RS, Menezes-Silva L, Caetité D, Oliveira AER, Castro ÍMS, Kauffenstein G, Nakaya HI, Borges MC, Zamboni DS, Fonseca DM, Paschoal JAR, Cunha TM, Quesniaux V, Linden J, Cunha FQ, Ryffel B, Alves-Filho JC. Sepsis expands a CD39 + plasmablast population that promotes immunosuppression via adenosine-mediated inhibition of macrophage antimicrobial activity. Immunity 2021; 54:2024-2041.e8. [PMID: 34473957 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2021.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Sepsis results in elevated adenosine in circulation. Extracellular adenosine triggers immunosuppressive signaling via the A2a receptor (A2aR). Sepsis survivors develop persistent immunosuppression with increased risk of recurrent infections. We utilized the cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) model of sepsis and subsequent infection to assess the role of adenosine in post-sepsis immune suppression. A2aR-deficient mice showed improved resistance to post-sepsis infections. Sepsis expanded a subset of CD39hi B cells and elevated extracellular adenosine, which was absent in mice lacking CD39-expressing B cells. Sepsis-surviving B cell-deficient mice were more resistant to secondary infections. Mechanistically, metabolic reprogramming of septic B cells increased production of ATP, which was converted into adenosine by CD39 on plasmablasts. Adenosine signaling via A2aR impaired macrophage bactericidal activity and enhanced interleukin-10 production. Septic individuals exhibited expanded CD39hi plasmablasts and adenosine accumulation. Our study reveals CD39hi plasmablasts and adenosine as important drivers of sepsis-induced immunosuppression with relevance in human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Carvalho Nascimento
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil; Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil; CNRS, UMR7355, Orleans, 45071, France.
| | - Paula Ramos Viacava
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil; Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Raphael Gomes Ferreira
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil; Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Marina Alves Damaceno
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Annie Rocío Piñeros
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil; Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Paulo Henrique Melo
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil; Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Paula Barbim Donate
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil; Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Juliana Escher Toller-Kawahisa
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil; Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Daniel Zoppi
- Department of Internal Medicine, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Flávio Protásio Veras
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil; Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Raphael Sanches Peres
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil; Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Luísa Menezes-Silva
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Diego Caetité
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil; Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Antonio Edson Rocha Oliveira
- Department of Clinical and Toxicological Analyses, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Ícaro Maia Santos Castro
- Department of Clinical and Toxicological Analyses, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Gilles Kauffenstein
- UMR INSERM 1260, Regenerative NanoMedicine, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg 60026, France
| | | | - Marcos Carvalho Borges
- Department of Internal Medicine, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Dario Simões Zamboni
- Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil; Department of Cell Biology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Denise Morais Fonseca
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Jonas Augusto Rizzato Paschoal
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Thiago Mattar Cunha
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil; Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Valerie Quesniaux
- CNRS, UMR7355, Orleans, 45071, France; Experimental and Molecular Immunology and Neurogenetics, University of Orleans, Orleans 45071, France
| | - Joel Linden
- Division of Nephrology, Center for Immunity, Inflammation and Regenerative Medicine University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - Fernando Queíroz Cunha
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil; Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Bernhard Ryffel
- CNRS, UMR7355, Orleans, 45071, France; Experimental and Molecular Immunology and Neurogenetics, University of Orleans, Orleans 45071, France
| | - José Carlos Alves-Filho
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil; Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil.
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21
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Bacterial Long-Range Warfare: Aerial Killing of Legionella pneumophila by Pseudomonas fluorescens. Microbiol Spectr 2021; 9:e0040421. [PMID: 34378969 PMCID: PMC8552673 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00404-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Legionella pneumophila, the causative agent of Legionnaires’ disease, is mostly found in man-made water systems and is one of the most closely monitored waterborne pathogens. With the aim of finding natural ways to control waterborne pathogens and thus further reduce the impact of disinfection by-products on human health, some studies have demonstrated the ability of bacteria to kill Legionella through the production of secondary metabolites or antimicrobial compounds. Here, we describe an unexpected growth inhibition of L. pneumophila when exposed to a physically separated strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens, designated as MFE01. Most of the members of the Legionellaceae family are sensitive to the volatile substances emitted by MFE01, unlike other bacteria tested. Using headspace solid-phase microextraction GC-MS strategy, a volatilome comparison revealed that emission of 1-undecene, 2-undecanone, and 2-tridecanone were mainly reduced in a Tn5-transposon mutant unable to inhibit at distance the growth of L. pneumophila strain Lens. We showed that 1-undecene was mainly responsible for the inhibition at distance in vitro, and led to cell lysis in small amounts, as determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Collectively, our results provide new insights into the mode of action of bacterial volatiles and highlight them as potent anti-Legionella agents to focus research on novel strategies to fight legionellosis. IMPORTANCE Microbial volatile compounds are molecules whose activities are increasingly attracting the attention of researchers. Indeed, they can act as key compounds in long-distance intrakingdom and interkingdom communication, but also as antimicrobials in competition and predation. In fact, most studies to date have focused on their antifungal activities and only a few have reported on their antibacterial properties. Here, we describe that 1-undecene, naturally produced by P. fluorescens, is a volatile with potent activity against bacteria of the genus Legionella. In small amounts, it is capable of inducing cell lysis even when the producing strain is physically separated from the target. This is the first time that such activity is described. This molecule could therefore constitute an efficient compound to counter bacterial pathogens whose treatment may fail, particularly in pulmonary diseases. Indeed, inhalation of these volatiles should be considered as a possible route of therapy in addition to antibiotic treatment.
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Pereira A, Silva AR, Melo LF. Legionella and Biofilms-Integrated Surveillance to Bridge Science and Real-Field Demands. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9061212. [PMID: 34205095 PMCID: PMC8228026 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9061212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Legionella is responsible for the life-threatening pneumonia commonly known as Legionnaires’ disease or legionellosis. Legionellosis is known to be preventable if proper measures are put into practice. Despite the efforts to improve preventive approaches, Legionella control remains one of the most challenging issues in the water treatment industry. Legionellosis incidence is on the rise and is expected to keep increasing as global challenges become a reality. This puts great emphasis on prevention, which must be grounded in strengthened Legionella management practices. Herein, an overview of field-based studies (the system as a test rig) is provided to unravel the common roots of research and the main contributions to Legionella’s understanding. The perpetuation of a water-focused monitoring approach and the importance of protozoa and biofilms will then be discussed as bottom-line questions for reliable Legionella real-field surveillance. Finally, an integrated monitoring model is proposed to study and control Legionella in water systems by combining discrete and continuous information about water and biofilm. Although the successful implementation of such a model requires a broader discussion across the scientific community and practitioners, this might be a starting point to build more consistent Legionella management strategies that can effectively mitigate legionellosis risks by reinforcing a pro-active Legionella prevention philosophy.
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Toplitsch D, Platzer S, Zehner R, Maitz S, Mascher F, Kittinger C. Comparison of Updated Methods for Legionella Detection in Environmental Water Samples. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18105436. [PMID: 34069615 PMCID: PMC8161308 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18105436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
The difficulty of cultivation of Legionella spp. from water samples remains a strenuous task even for experienced laboratories. The long incubation periods for Legionellae make isolation difficult. In addition, the water samples themselves are often contaminated with accompanying microbial flora, and therefore require complex cultivation methods from diagnostic laboratories. In addition to the recent update of the standard culture method ISO 11731:2017, new strategies such as quantitative PCR (qPCR) are often discussed as alternatives or additions to conventional Legionella culture approaches. In this study, we compared ISO 11731:2017 with qPCR assays targeting Legionella spp., Legionella pneumophila, and Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1. In samples with a high burden of accompanying microbial flora, qPCR shows an excellent negative predictive value for Legionella pneumophila, thus making qPCR an excellent tool for pre-selection of negative samples prior to work-intensive culture methods. This and its low limit of detection make qPCR a diagnostic asset in Legionellosis outbreak investigations, where quick-risk assessments are essential, and are a useful method for monitoring risk sites.
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Goraj W, Pytlak A, Kowalska B, Kowalski D, Grządziel J, Szafranek-Nakonieczna A, Gałązka A, Stępniewska Z, Stępniewski W. Influence of pipe material on biofilm microbial communities found in drinking water supply system. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 196:110433. [PMID: 33166536 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 10/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The biofilms and water samples from a model installation built of PVC-U, PE-HD and cast iron pipes were investigated using standard heterotrophic plate count and 16S rRNA Next Generation Sequencing. The results of the high throughput identification imply that the construction material strongly influences the microbiome composition. PVC-U and PE-HD pipes were dominated with Proteobacteria (54-60%) while the cast pipe was overgrown by Nitrospirae (64%). It was deduced that the plastic pipes create a more convenient environment for the potentially pathogenic taxa than the cast iron. The 7-year old biofilms were described as complex habitats with sharp oxidation-reduction gradients, where co-existence of methanogenic and methanotrophic microbiota takes place. Furthermore, it was found that the drinking water distribution systems (DWDS) are a useful tool for studying the ecology of rare bacterial phyla. New ecophysiological aspects were described for Aquihabitans, Thermogutta and Vampirovibrio. The discrepancy between identity of HPC-derived bacteria and NGS-revealed composition of biofilm and water microbiomes point to the need of introducing new diagnostical protocols to enable proper assessment of the drinking water safety, especially in DWDSs operating without disinfection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weronika Goraj
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology of Microorganisms, Institute of Biological Sciences, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Konstantynów Street 1 I, 20-708, Lublin, Poland
| | - Anna Pytlak
- Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Doświadczalna 4, 20-290, Lublin, Poland.
| | - Beata Kowalska
- Faculty of Environmental Protection Engineering, Lublin University of Technology, ul. Nadbystrzycka 40B, 20-618, Lublin, Poland
| | - Dariusz Kowalski
- Faculty of Environmental Protection Engineering, Lublin University of Technology, ul. Nadbystrzycka 40B, 20-618, Lublin, Poland
| | - Jarosław Grządziel
- Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation-State Research Institute (IUNG-PIB), Czartoryskich Street 8, 24-100, Puławy, Poland
| | - Anna Szafranek-Nakonieczna
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology of Microorganisms, Institute of Biological Sciences, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Konstantynów Street 1 I, 20-708, Lublin, Poland
| | - Anna Gałązka
- Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation-State Research Institute (IUNG-PIB), Czartoryskich Street 8, 24-100, Puławy, Poland
| | - Zofia Stępniewska
- Department of Biochemistry and Environmental Chemistry, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Konstantynów Street 1 I, 20-708, Lublin, Poland
| | - Witold Stępniewski
- Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Doświadczalna 4, 20-290, Lublin, Poland
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Schwaminger S, Rottmueller ME, Fischl R, Kalali B, Berensmeier S. Detection of targeted bacteria species on filtration membranes. Analyst 2021; 146:3549-3556. [PMID: 33899848 DOI: 10.1039/d1an00117e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The detection of pathogens in aquatic environments issues a time-consuming challenge, but it is an essential task to prevent the spread of diseases. We have developed a new point-of-care (POC) method for the fast and efficient detection of Legionella pneumophila in water. The method consists first of the generation of immunocomplexes of bacteria species with its corresponding targeted fluorescence-labelled serogroup-specific antibodies, and second a concentration step of pathogens with a membrane filter. Third, on the filtration membrane, our method can detect the fluorescence intensity corresponding to the pathogen concentration. Thus selective and efficient evidence for the presence of bacteria can be evaluated. We tested our system on fluorescent Escherichia coli bacteria and were able to reach an accurate determination of 1000 cells. The technique was furthermore tested on Legionella pneumophila cells, which were labelled with fluorescence-labelled antibodies as a proof of principle. Furthermore, we were able to verify this method in the presence of other bacteria species. We were able to detect bacteria cells within half an hour, a substantial advancement compared to the prevailling state of the art detection method based on the cultivation of Legionella pneumophila. Hence, this system represents the basis for future developments in analysis of pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Schwaminger
- Bioseparation Engineering Group, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching, Germany.
| | - Marina E Rottmueller
- Bioseparation Engineering Group, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching, Germany.
| | - Ramona Fischl
- Bioseparation Engineering Group, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching, Germany.
| | - Behnam Kalali
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Sonja Berensmeier
- Bioseparation Engineering Group, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching, Germany.
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26
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Guglielmi P, Pontecorvi V, Rotondi G. Natural compounds and extracts as novel antimicrobial agents. Expert Opin Ther Pat 2021; 30:949-962. [PMID: 33203288 DOI: 10.1080/13543776.2020.1853101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: Antimicrobial resistance is a worldwide problem accounting for the reduction or in some cases absence of drugs effectiveness normally used in infections treatment. In the light of the even more spread ability of microbials to develop resistance, there is an urgent necessity to find novel and alternative routes to fight infections. Natural compounds or extracts can be a valid alternative either as monotherapy or as adjuvant in order to improve the effectiveness of the failing drugs. Areas covered: This review provides a comprehensive update (2018-2020) on the development state of innovative antimicrobial agents based on natural compounds and extracts, also describing their compositions, methods of production and use, mechanism of action, along with anti-microbial data when available. Expert opinion: Owing to the pivotal role that natural compounds often cover in the finding of novel drugs, their in-depth analysis could pave the way to the discovery of new antimicrobial agents. Most of the alternative approaches reported in this short review were validated through in vitro and in vivo (animal as well as human) models. The employment of natural derived compounds and extracts, alone or in combination with classical antimicrobial drugs, as antimicrobial agents could represent an important achievement to challenge pathogens resistant mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Guglielmi
- Department of Chemistry and Technologies of Drugs, Sapienza University of Rome , Rome, Italy
| | - Virginia Pontecorvi
- Department of Chemistry and Technologies of Drugs, Sapienza University of Rome , Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Rotondi
- Department of Chemistry and Technologies of Drugs, Sapienza University of Rome , Rome, Italy
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27
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Islam MA, Hassen WM, Tayabali AF, Dubowski JJ. Short Ligand, Cysteine-Modified Warnericin RK Antimicrobial Peptides Favor Highly Sensitive Detection of Legionella pneumophila. ACS OMEGA 2021; 6:1299-1308. [PMID: 33490789 PMCID: PMC7818584 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c04753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Culture-based methods for the detection of Legionella pneumophila are prohibitively slow and frequently inadequate. The problem has been addressed with biosensing technology that employs a variety of ligands for the specific capture of bacteria. However, the limited success of the application of mammalian antibodies, aptamers, and nucleic acid-based probes for sensitive biosensing has generated growing interest in exploring alternative biosensing architectures, such as those based on antimicrobial peptides (AMP) that are known for their attractive therapeutic applications. We report on the successful employment of cysteine-modified warnericin RK AMP for the operation of a highly sensitive biosensor of L. pneumophila based on digital photocorrosion of GaAs/AlGaAs nanoheterostructures. The replacement of the relatively cumbersome procedure commonly applied for the attachment of antibodies to COOH-terminated mercaptohexadecanoic acid self-assembled monolayers has allowed for a significant reduction in the distance at which bacteria are immobilized above the biosensor surface. An important consequence of this approach is the attractive limit of detection of L. pneumophila estimated at 2 × 102 CFU/mL. The target bacteria were captured four times more efficiently than P. fluorescens, B. subtilis, and E. coli, which is highly promising for environmental monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Amirul Islam
- Interdisciplinary
Institute for Technological Innovation (3IT), CNRS UMI-3463, Laboratory
for Quantum Semiconductors and Photon-based BioNanotechnology, Department
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Université de Sherbrooke, 3000, boul. de l’Université, Sherbrooke, Québec J1K 0A5, Canada
| | - Walid M. Hassen
- Interdisciplinary
Institute for Technological Innovation (3IT), CNRS UMI-3463, Laboratory
for Quantum Semiconductors and Photon-based BioNanotechnology, Department
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Université de Sherbrooke, 3000, boul. de l’Université, Sherbrooke, Québec J1K 0A5, Canada
| | - Azam F. Tayabali
- Environmental
Health Science Research Bureau, Healthy
Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9, Canada
| | - Jan J. Dubowski
- Interdisciplinary
Institute for Technological Innovation (3IT), CNRS UMI-3463, Laboratory
for Quantum Semiconductors and Photon-based BioNanotechnology, Department
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Université de Sherbrooke, 3000, boul. de l’Université, Sherbrooke, Québec J1K 0A5, Canada
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Eisenreich W, Rudel T, Heesemann J, Goebel W. Persistence of Intracellular Bacterial Pathogens-With a Focus on the Metabolic Perspective. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 10:615450. [PMID: 33520740 PMCID: PMC7841308 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.615450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Persistence has evolved as a potent survival strategy to overcome adverse environmental conditions. This capability is common to almost all bacteria, including all human bacterial pathogens and likely connected to chronic infections caused by some of these pathogens. Although the majority of a bacterial cell population will be killed by the particular stressors, like antibiotics, oxygen and nitrogen radicals, nutrient starvation and others, a varying subpopulation (termed persisters) will withstand the stress situation and will be able to revive once the stress is removed. Several factors and pathways have been identified in the past that apparently favor the formation of persistence, such as various toxin/antitoxin modules or stringent response together with the alarmone (p)ppGpp. However, persistence can occur stochastically in few cells even of stress-free bacterial populations. Growth of these cells could then be induced by the stress conditions. In this review, we focus on the persister formation of human intracellular bacterial pathogens, some of which belong to the most successful persister producers but lack some or even all of the assumed persistence-triggering factors and pathways. We propose a mechanism for the persister formation of these bacterial pathogens which is based on their specific intracellular bipartite metabolism. We postulate that this mode of metabolism ultimately leads, under certain starvation conditions, to the stalling of DNA replication initiation which may be causative for the persister state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolfgang Eisenreich
- Department of Chemistry, Chair of Biochemistry, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany
| | - Thomas Rudel
- Chair of Microbiology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Heesemann
- Max von Pettenkofer-Institute, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, München, Germany
| | - Werner Goebel
- Max von Pettenkofer-Institute, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, München, Germany
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29
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Maguvu TE, Bezuidenhout CC, Kritzinger R, Tsholo K, Plaatjie M, Molale-Tom LG, Mienie CM, Coertze RD. Combining physicochemical properties and microbiome data to evaluate the water quality of South African drinking water production plants. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0237335. [PMID: 32790793 PMCID: PMC7425920 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic activities in catchments used for drinking water production largely contaminates source waters, and this may impact the quality of the final drinking water product. These contaminants may also affect taxonomic and functional profiles of the bacterial communities in the drinking water. Here, we report an integrated insight into the microbiome and water quality of four water treatment plants (NWC, NWE, WCA and NWG) that supply portable water to communities in South Africa. A new scoring system based on combined significant changes of physicochemical parameters and microbial abundance from raw to treated water was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment plants at water purification. Physicochemical parameters which include total soluble solids, turbidity, pH, nitrites and phosphorus among others, were measured in source, treated, and distributed water. There were general statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05) differences between raw and treated water, demonstrating the effectiveness of the purification process. Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene was used for taxonomic profiling of the microbial communities and this data was used to infer functional attributes of the communities. Structure and composition of the bacterial communities differed significantly (P < 0.05) among the treatment plants, only NWE and NWG showed no significant differences (P > 0.05), this correlated with the predicted functional profile of the microbial communities obtained from Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Observed States (PICRUSt), as well as the likely pollutants of source water. Bacteroidetes, Chlorobi and Fibrobacteres significantly differed (P < 0.05) between raw and distributed water. PICRUSt inferred a number of pathways involved in the degradation of xenobiotics such as Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, atrazine and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. More worryingly, was the presence of pathways involved in beta-lactam resistance, potential pathogenic Escherichia coli infection, Vibrio cholerae infection, and Shigellosis. Also present in drinking and treated water were OTUs associated with a number of opportunistic pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tawanda E. Maguvu
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management - Microbiology, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
- * E-mail:
| | - Cornelius C. Bezuidenhout
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management - Microbiology, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Rinaldo Kritzinger
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management - Microbiology, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Karabo Tsholo
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management - Microbiology, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Moitshepi Plaatjie
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management - Microbiology, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Lesego G. Molale-Tom
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management - Microbiology, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Charlotte M. Mienie
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management - Microbiology, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Roelof D. Coertze
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management - Microbiology, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
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Mazzotta M, Girolamini L, Pascale MR, Lizzadro J, Salaris S, Dormi A, Cristino S. The Role of Sensor-Activated Faucets in Surgical Handwashing Environment as a Reservoir of Legionella. Pathogens 2020; 9:pathogens9060446. [PMID: 32516992 PMCID: PMC7350366 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9060446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2020] [Revised: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Surgical handwashing is a mandatory practice to protect both surgeons and patients in order to control Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs). The study is focused on Legionella and Pseudomonas aeruginosa contamination in Surgical Handwashing Outlets (SHWOs) provided by sensor-activated faucets with Thermostatic Mixer Valves (TMVs), as correlated to temperature, technologies, and disinfection used. Samples were analyzed by standard culture techniques, comparing hot- and cold-water samples. Legionella isolates were typed by an agglutination test and by mip sequencing. Legionella contamination showed the same distribution between hot and cold samples concerning positive samples and mean concentration: 44.5% and 1.94 Log10 cfu/L vs. 42.6% and 1.81 Log10 cfu/L, respectively. Regarding the distribution of isolates (Legionella pneumophila vs. Legionella non-pneumophila species), significant differences were found between hot- and cold-positive samples. The contamination found in relation to ranges of temperature showed the main positive samples (47.1%) between 45.1-49.6 °C, corresponding to high Legionella concentrations (2.17 Log10 cfu/L). In contrast, an increase of temperature (>49.6 °C) led to a decrease in positive samples (23.2%) and mean concentration (1.64 Log10 cfu/L). A low level of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was found. For SHWOs located in critical areas, lack of consideration of technologies used and uncorrected disinfection protocols may lead to the development of a high-risk environment for both patients and surgeons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Mazzotta
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (M.M.); (L.G.); (M.R.P.); (J.L.); (S.S.)
| | - Luna Girolamini
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (M.M.); (L.G.); (M.R.P.); (J.L.); (S.S.)
| | - Maria Rosaria Pascale
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (M.M.); (L.G.); (M.R.P.); (J.L.); (S.S.)
| | - Jessica Lizzadro
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (M.M.); (L.G.); (M.R.P.); (J.L.); (S.S.)
| | - Silvano Salaris
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (M.M.); (L.G.); (M.R.P.); (J.L.); (S.S.)
| | - Ada Dormi
- Department of Medical and Surgical Science, University of Bologna, via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy;
| | - Sandra Cristino
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (M.M.); (L.G.); (M.R.P.); (J.L.); (S.S.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-051-209-4811; Fax: +39-051-209-4829
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Mameri RM, Bodennec J, Bezin L, Demanèche S. Mitigation of Expression of Virulence Genes in Legionella pneumophila Internalized in the Free-Living Amoeba Willaertia magna C2c Maky. Pathogens 2020; 9:pathogens9060447. [PMID: 32517040 PMCID: PMC7350332 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9060447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Revised: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Legionella pneumophila is a human pathogen responsible for a severe form of pneumonia named Legionnaire disease. Its natural habitat is aquatic environments, being in a free state or intracellular parasites of free-living amoebae, such as Acanthamoeba castellanii. This pathogen is able to replicate within some amoebae. Willaertia magna C2c Maky, a non-pathogenic amoeba, was previously demonstrated to resist to L. pneumophila and even to be able to eliminate the L. pneumophila strains Philadelphia, Lens, and Paris. Here, we studied the induction of seven virulence genes of three L. pneumophila strains (Paris, Philadelphia, and Lens) within W. magna C2c Maky in comparison within A. castellanii and with the gene expression level of L. pneumophila strains alone used as controls. We defined a gene expression-based virulence index to compare easily and without bias the transcript levels in different conditions and demonstrated that W. magna C2c Maky did not increase the virulence of L. pneumophila strains in contrast to A. castellanii. These results confirmed the non-permissiveness of W. magna C2c Maky toward L. pneumophila strains.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jacques Bodennec
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center CRNL UMR5292 U1028, University of Lyon, Univ Lyon 1, CNRS, Inserm, 69500 Bron, France; (J.B.); (L.B.)
| | - Laurent Bezin
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center CRNL UMR5292 U1028, University of Lyon, Univ Lyon 1, CNRS, Inserm, 69500 Bron, France; (J.B.); (L.B.)
| | - Sandrine Demanèche
- R&D Department, Amoéba, 69680 Chassieu, France;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +33-(04)-2669-1600
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Crépin A, Jégou JF, André S, Ecale F, Croitoru A, Cantereau A, Berjeaud JM, Ladram A, Verdon J. In vitro and intracellular activities of frog skin temporins against Legionella pneumophila and its eukaryotic hosts. Sci Rep 2020; 10:3978. [PMID: 32132569 PMCID: PMC7055270 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-60829-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Temporin-SHa (SHa) is a small cationic host defence peptide (HDP) produced in skin secretions of the Sahara frog Pelophylax saharicus. This peptide has a broad-spectrum activity, efficiently targeting bacteria, parasites and viruses. Noticeably, SHa has demonstrated an ability to kill Leishmania infantum parasites (amastigotes) within macrophages. Recently, an analog of SHa with an increased net positive charge, named [K3]SHa, has been designed to improve those activities. SHa and [K3]SHa were both shown to exhibit leishmanicidal activity mainly by permeabilization of cell membranes but could also induce apoptotis-like death. Temporins are usually poorly active against Gram-negative bacteria whereas many of these species are of public health interest. Among them, Legionella pneumophila, the etiological agent of Legionnaire’s disease, is of major concern. Indeed, this bacterium adopts an intracellular lifestyle and replicate inside alveolar macrophages likewise inside its numerous protozoan hosts. Despite several authors have studied the antimicrobial activity of many compounds on L. pneumophila released from host cells, nothing is known about activity on intracellular L. pneumophila within their hosts, and subsequently mechanisms of action that could be involved. Here, we showed for the first time that SHa and [K3]SHa were active towards several species of Legionella. Both peptides displayed bactericidal activity and caused a loss of the bacterial envelope integrity leading to a rapid drop in cell viability. Regarding amoebae and THP-1-derived macrophages, SHa was less toxic than [K3]SHa and exhibited low half maximal lethal concentrations (LC50). When used at non-toxic concentration (6.25 µM), SHa killed more than 90% L. pneumophila within amoebae and around 50% within macrophages. Using SHa labeled with the fluorescent dye Cy5, we showed an evenly diffusion within cells except in vacuoles. Moreover, SHa was able to enter the nucleus of amoebae and accumulate in the nucleolus. This subcellular localization seemed specific as macrophages nucleoli remained unlabeled. Finally, no modifications in the expression of cytokines and HDPs were recorded when macrophages were treated with 6.25 µM SHa. By combining all data, we showed that temporin-SHa decreases the intracellular L. pneumophila load within amoebae and macrophages without being toxic for eukaryotic cells. This peptide was also able to reach the nucleolus of amoebae but was not capable to penetrate inside vacuoles. These data are in favor of an indirect action of SHa towards intracellular Legionella and make this peptide a promising template for further developments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Crépin
- Laboratoire Ecologie & Biologie des Interactions, UMR CNRS 7267, Université de Poitiers, 1 Rue Georges Bonnet, TSA 51106, 86073, POITIERS, Cedex 9, France
| | - Jean-François Jégou
- Laboratoire Inflammation, Tissus Epithéliaux et Cytokines, UPRES EA4331, Université de Poitiers, 1 Rue Georges Bonnet, TSA 51106, 86073, POITIERS, Cedex 9, France
| | - Sonia André
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine, IBPS, BIOSIPE, F-75252, Paris, France
| | - Florine Ecale
- Laboratoire Ecologie & Biologie des Interactions, UMR CNRS 7267, Université de Poitiers, 1 Rue Georges Bonnet, TSA 51106, 86073, POITIERS, Cedex 9, France
| | - Anastasia Croitoru
- Laboratoire d'Optique et Biosciences, INSERM U1182 - CNRS UMR7645, Ecole polytechnique, 91128, PALAISEAU, Cedex, France
| | - Anne Cantereau
- Laboratoire Signalisation et Transports Ioniques Membranaires, Université de Poitiers, 1 Rue Georges Bonnet, TSA 51106, 86073, POITIERS, Cedex 9, France
| | - Jean-Marc Berjeaud
- Laboratoire Ecologie & Biologie des Interactions, UMR CNRS 7267, Université de Poitiers, 1 Rue Georges Bonnet, TSA 51106, 86073, POITIERS, Cedex 9, France
| | - Ali Ladram
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine, IBPS, BIOSIPE, F-75252, Paris, France
| | - Julien Verdon
- Laboratoire Ecologie & Biologie des Interactions, UMR CNRS 7267, Université de Poitiers, 1 Rue Georges Bonnet, TSA 51106, 86073, POITIERS, Cedex 9, France.
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Paranjape K, Bédard É, Whyte LG, Ronholm J, Prévost M, Faucher SP. Presence of Legionella spp. in cooling towers: the role of microbial diversity, Pseudomonas, and continuous chlorine application. WATER RESEARCH 2020; 169:115252. [PMID: 31726393 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2019.115252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Revised: 10/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/27/2019] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Legionnaires' disease (LD) is a severe pneumonia caused by several species of the genus Legionella, most frequently by Legionella pneumophila. Cooling towers are the most common source for large community-associated outbreaks. Colonization, survival, and proliferation of L. pneumophila in cooling towers are necessary for outbreaks to occur. These steps are affected by the chemical and physical parameters of the cooling tower environment. We hypothesize that the bacterial community residing in the cooling tower could also affect the presence of L. pneumophila. A 16S rRNA gene targeted amplicon sequencing approach was used to study the bacterial community of cooling towers and its relationship with the Legionella spp. and L. pneumophila communities. The results indicated that the water source shaped the bacterial community of cooling towers. Several taxa were enriched and positively correlated with Legionella spp. and L. pneumophila. In contrast, Pseudomonas showed a strong negative correlation with Legionella spp. and several other genera. Most importantly, continuous chlorine application reduced microbial diversity and promoted the presence of Pseudomonas creating a non-permissive environment for Legionella spp. This suggests that disinfection strategies as well as the resident microbial population influences the ability of Legionella spp. to colonize cooling towers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiran Paranjape
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Émilie Bédard
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada; Department of Civil Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Lyle G Whyte
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Jennifer Ronholm
- Department of Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada; Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Michèle Prévost
- Department of Civil Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Sébastien P Faucher
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada.
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Islam MA, Hassen WM, Tayabali AF, Dubowski JJ. Antimicrobial warnericin RK peptide functionalized GaAs/AlGaAs biosensor for highly sensitive and selective detection of Legionella pneumophila. Biochem Eng J 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2019.107435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Singh MK, Maurya A, Kumar S. Bioaugmentation for the treatment of waterborne pathogen contamination water. WATERBORNE PATHOGENS 2020. [PMCID: PMC7153333 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-818783-8.00010-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Bioaugmentation is an eco-friendly and economically viable approach for enhanced degradation of pollutants and pathogens by addition of pregrown microbe or microbial cocultures in the medium. Microorganisms from different ecological conditions and engineered microbes capable to produce versatile enzymes and bioproducts are added to native microbial population for in situ treatment of wastewater. Bacterial pathogen borne in wastewater is an important concern for public health because they are not only associated with environmental damage, morbidity, and mortality but also cause economic loss connected with physical and chemical methods in wastewater treatment. Bacteriophages are natural killer of bacteria; they can be used as an alternative, cost-effective, biological method for waterborne bacterial pathogen control. Legionella pneumophila is the most tracked waterborne pathogen requiring specific treatment conditions because despite of biocides use, they are able to persist in water supplies with the help of multispecies biofilms and phagocytic protists. This type of pathogens can be biologically controlled through native complex communities fight for nutrients by means of antagonistic molecules as war weapons. Bioinoculation of heterotrophic bacterial strains in different wastewater treatment systems improves the process of pathogenic bacteria removal. The antagonist substances produced by the inoculated strains are responsible for bacterial pathogen inactivation.
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Abstract
Legionella pneumophila (L. pneumophila), the causative agent of legionellosis, is an aquatic bacterium that grows in warm water. Humans are only presented with a health risk when aerosolized water containing L. pneumophila is inhaled. In mining operations, aerosolized water is used as dust control and as part of the drilling operations, a currently ignored exposure route. This study characterized L. pneumophila concentrations in the mine’s non-potable water and the relationship between L. pneumophila and chlorine concentrations. These concentrations informed a quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) model to estimate the infection risk to miners exposed to aerosolized water containing L. pneumophila. Fourteen water samples were collected from seven locations at a mine and analyzed for temperature, pH, chlorine, and L. pneumophila serogroup. Most samples (93%) tested positive for L. pneumophila cells. The faucet from the sprinkler system on the adit level (entrance to the underground mine levels) showed the highest concentration of L. pneumophila (8.35 × 104 MPN/L). Disability adjusted life years (DALYs) were estimated in the QMRA model and showed that the risk for all miners was significantly lower (p < 0.0001) with the ventilation system on than when the system was off. Our study showed that the use of a ventilation system at the adit level of the mine reduced the risk of infection with aerosolized L. pneumophila.
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Moosavian M, Moradzadeh M, Ghadiri A, Saki M. Isolation and Identification of Legionella spp. in environmental water sources based on macrophage infectivity potentiator ( mip) gene sequencing in southwest Iran. AIMS Microbiol 2019; 5:223-231. [PMID: 31663058 PMCID: PMC6787354 DOI: 10.3934/microbiol.2019.3.223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Legionella species are widespread in natural water sources and man-made aqueous environments, as well as fresh-water. The present study was conducted owing to the lack of research regarding the prevalence of Legionella spp in the water sources of Ahvaz city in southwest Iran. In this study the macrophage infectivity potentiator (mip) gene sequencing was used for identification of various Legionella species isolated from different water sources. In this study, 144 water samples were collected and inoculated on the buffered charcoal-yeast extract (BCYE) agar and modified Wadowsky-Yee (MWY) medium. The DNA was extracted from positive cultures. The Legionella species were confirmed by amplifying a 654 bp fragment of the 16S rRNA gene. The mip gene of all isolates were amplified by PCR and purified for sequencing. The mip gene sequences were analyzed by jPHYDIT software version 1. The results showed a 13.9% (20/144) prevalence of Legionella spp. in water sources of Ahvaz city, southwest Iran. Analyzing of the mip gene sequences showed, out of 20 Legionella isolates, 13 isolates (54.1%) were positive for L. pneumophila, 5 isolates (20.8%) were positive for L. worsleinsis, one isolates for each one of L. dumoffi and L. fairfieldensis, (4.1%). According to our research, the occurrence of Legionella spp in water sources could be a hazard for the health systems especially in the hospitals. The regular monitoring of these water sources by health planners may therefore be useful for decreasing the risk for Legionella spp. infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mojtaba Moosavian
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Health Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Mina Moradzadeh
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Ataollah Ghadiri
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Morteza Saki
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Health Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
- Student Research Committee, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
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Environmental surveillance and spatio-temporal analysis of Legionella spp. in a region of northeastern Italy (2002-2017). PLoS One 2019; 14:e0218687. [PMID: 31287819 PMCID: PMC6615612 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 06/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Legionella spp. are considered an important cause of potentially preventable morbidity and mortality, making environmental surveillance a crucial component of risk assessment plans. In this work, 20,319 water samples were collected in 3,983 environmental surveys during a 16-year period by ARPA, the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection, Friuli Venezia Giulia, and the results were studied to better understand the diffusion mechanisms of Legionella. The data showed a strong seasonal signal, a prevalence of L. pneumophila serogroup 2–15 in most environments (63% of positive samples), a prevalence of L. pneumophila serogroup 1 in swimming pool-associated environments (82% of positive samples), a persistent presence of Legionella in hospitals and a recurrent presence of Legionella in other facilities such as hotels, possibly years after interventions, highlighting the difficulty of eradicating the bacteria. Retrospective spatio-temporal analyses on geocoded historical data were carried out with SaTScan using an ordinal model with risk as a covariate to identify potential clusters with an excess of cases in the higher-risk categories. Although no outbreaks occurred during the period of study, such analyses identified spatially restricted zones with unusual contamination, which sometimes were also areas in which several surveys triggered by notifications of clinical cases were performed. Simulations of periodic prospective analyses permitted the assessment of the efficacy of the method in early detection of such clusters. The proposed method may be a useful tool in environmental surveillance, prevention and control of Legionella.
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Abstract
Communities of bacteria that cause Legionnaires' disease repel other bacteria by secreting an acid called HGA
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa D Hughes
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, United States
| | - Michele S Swanson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, United States
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Draft Genome Sequences of Seven Legionella pneumophila Isolates from a Hot Water System of a Large Building. Microbiol Resour Announc 2019; 8:8/18/e00384-19. [PMID: 31048385 PMCID: PMC6498240 DOI: 10.1128/mra.00384-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Public health data show that a significant fraction of the nation's waterborne disease outbreaks are attributable to premise plumbing. We report the draft genome sequences of seven Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 isolates from hot water lines of a large building. Genomic analysis identified the isolates as belonging to sequence type 1.
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Corre MH, Delafont V, Legrand A, Berjeaud JM, Verdon J. Exploiting the Richness of Environmental Waterborne Bacterial Species to Find Natural Legionella pneumophila Competitors. Front Microbiol 2019; 9:3360. [PMID: 30697209 PMCID: PMC6340971 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.03360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2018] [Accepted: 12/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Legionella pneumophila is one of the most tracked waterborne pathogens and remains an important threat to human health. Despite the use of biocides, L. pneumophila is able to persist in engineered water systems with the help of multispecies biofilms and phagocytic protists. For few years now, high-throughput sequencing methods have enabled a better understanding of microbial communities in freshwater environments. Those unexplored and complex communities compete for nutrients using antagonistic molecules as war weapons. Up to now, few of these molecules were characterized in regards of L. pneumophila sensitivity. In this context, we established, from five freshwater environments, a vast collection of culturable bacteria and investigated their ability to inhibit the growth of L. pneumophila. All bacterial isolates were classified within 4 phyla, namely Proteobacteria (179/273), Bacteroidetes (48/273), Firmicutes (43/273), and Actinobacteria (3/273) according to 16S rRNA coding sequences. Aeromonas, Bacillus, Flavobacterium, and Pseudomonas were the most abundant genera (154/273). Among the 273 isolates, 178 (65.2%) were shown to be active against L. pneumophila including 137 isolates of the four previously cited main genera. Additionally, other less represented genera depicted anti-Legionella activity such as Acinetobacter, Kluyvera, Rahnella, or Sphingobacterium. Furthermore, various inhibition diameters were observed among active isolates, ranging from 0.4 to 9 cm. Such variability suggests the presence of numerous and diverse natural compounds in the microenvironment of L. pneumophila. These molecules include both diffusible secreted compounds and volatile organic compounds, the latter being mainly produced by Pseudomonas strains. Altogether, this work sheds light on unexplored freshwater bacterial communities that could be relevant for the biological control of L. pneumophila in manmade water systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Hélène Corre
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, UMR CNRS 7267, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
| | - Vincent Delafont
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, UMR CNRS 7267, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
| | - Anasthasia Legrand
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, UMR CNRS 7267, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
| | - Jean-Marc Berjeaud
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, UMR CNRS 7267, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
| | - Julien Verdon
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, UMR CNRS 7267, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
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Oh Y, Noga R, Shanov V, Ryu H, Chandra H, Yadav B, Yadav J, Chae S. Electrically heatable carbon nanotube point-of-use filters for effective separation and in-situ inactivation of Legionella pneumophila. CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL (LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND : 1996) 2019; 366:21-26. [PMID: 31275054 PMCID: PMC6604856 DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2019.02.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Despite municipal chlorination and secondary disinfection, opportunistic waterborne pathogens (e.g., Legionella spp.) persist in public and private water distribution systems. As a potential source of healthcare-acquired infections, this warrants development of novel pathogen removal and inactivation systems. In this study, electrically heatable carbon nanotube (CNT) point-of-use (POU) filters have been designed to remove and inactivate Legionella pneumophila in water. The CNT/polymer composite membranes effectively removed Legionella (> 99.99%) (i.e., below detection limit) and were able to inactive them on the membrane surface at 100% efficiency within 60 s using ohmic heating at 20 V. The novel POU filters could be used as a final barrier to provide efficient rejection of pathogens and thereby simultaneously eliminate microorganisms in public and private water supplies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoontaek Oh
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, U.S.A
| | - Ryan Noga
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, U.S.A
| | - Vesselin Shanov
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, U.S.A
| | - Hodon Ryu
- National Risk Management Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH 45268, U.S.A
| | - Harish Chandra
- Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunotoxicology Laboratory, Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267, U.S.A
| | - Brijesh Yadav
- Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunotoxicology Laboratory, Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267, U.S.A
| | - Jagjit Yadav
- Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunotoxicology Laboratory, Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267, U.S.A
| | - Soryong Chae
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, U.S.A
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Highlighting the Potency of Biosurfactants Produced by Pseudomonas Strains as Anti- Legionella Agents. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2018; 2018:8194368. [PMID: 30426015 PMCID: PMC6217892 DOI: 10.1155/2018/8194368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Revised: 09/12/2018] [Accepted: 09/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Legionella pneumophila, the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease, is a waterborne bacterium mainly found in man-made water systems in close association with free-living amoebae and multispecies biofilms. Pseudomonas strains, originating from various environments including freshwater systems or isolated from hospitalized patients, were tested for their antagonistic activity towards L. pneumophila. A high amount of tested strains was thus found to be active. This antibacterial activity was correlated to the presence of tensioactive agents in culture supernatants. As Pseudomonas strains were known to produce biosurfactants, these compounds were specifically extracted and purified from active strains and further characterized using reverse-phase HPLC and mass spectrometry methods. Finally, all biosurfactants tested (lipopeptides and rhamnolipids) were found active and this activity was shown to be higher towards Legionella strains compared to various other bacteria. Therefore, described biosurfactants are potent anti-Legionella agents that could be used in the water treatment industry although tests are needed to evaluate how effective they would be under field conditions.
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Jin D, Kong X, Cui B, Jin S, Xie Y, Wang X, Deng Y. Bacterial communities and potential waterborne pathogens within the typical urban surface waters. Sci Rep 2018; 8:13368. [PMID: 30190569 PMCID: PMC6127328 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-31706-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 05/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Waterborne pathogens have attracted a great deal of attention in the public health sector over the last several decades. However, little is known about the pathogenic microorganisms in urban water systems. In this study, the bacterial community structure of 16 typical surface waters in the city of Beijing were analyzed using Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing based on 16S rRNA gene. The results showed that Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were the dominant groups in 16 surface water samples, and Betaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Flavobacteriia, Sphingobacteriia and Actinobacteria were the most dominant classes. The dominant genus across all samples was Flavobacterium. In addition, fifteen genus level groups of potentialy pathogenic bacteria were detected within the 16 water samples, with Pseudomonas and Aeromonas the most frequently identified. Spearman correlation analysis demonstrated that richness estimators (OTUs and Chao1) were correlated with water temperature, nitrate and total nitrogen (p < 0.05), while ammonia-nitrogen and total nitrogen were significantly correlated with the percent of total potential pathogens (p ≤ 0.05). These results could provide insight into the ecological function and health risks of surface water bacterial communities during the process of urbanization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Decai Jin
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China. .,College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Xiao Kong
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.,College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Bingjian Cui
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.,College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Shulan Jin
- School of History Geography and Tourism, Shangrao Normal University, Shangrao, 334000, China
| | - Yunfeng Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Xingrun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Ye Deng
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China. .,College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
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García-Gil A, Gasco-Cavero S, Garrido E, Mejías M, Epting J, Navarro-Elipe M, Alejandre C, Sevilla-Alcaine E. Decreased waterborne pathogenic bacteria in an urban aquifer related to intense shallow geothermal exploitation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 633:765-775. [PMID: 29602115 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.03.245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2018] [Revised: 03/19/2018] [Accepted: 03/20/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The implications of intensive use of shallow geothermal energy resources in shallow urban aquifers are still not known for waterborne pathogens relevant to human health. Firstly, we hypothesized that waterborne enteric pathogens would be relatively increased in heated groundwater plumes. To prove this, microbiological sampling of 31 piezometers covering the domain of an urban groundwater body affected by microbiological contamination and energetically exploited by 70 groundwater heat pump systems was performed. Mean differences of pathogenic bacteria contents between impacted and non-impacted monitoring points were assessed with a two-tailed independent Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney U and correlation coefficients were also calculated. Surprisingly, the results obtained revealed a significant and generalized decrease in waterborne pathogen contents in thermally impacted piezometers compared to that of non-impacted piezometers. This decrease is hypothesized to be caused by a heat shock to bacteria within the heat exchangers. The statistically significant negative correlations obtained between waterborne pathogen counts and temperature could be explained by the spatial distribution of the bacteria, finding that bacteria start to recover with increasing distance from the injection point. Also, different behavior groups fitting exponential regression models were found for the bacteria species studied, justified by the different presence and influence of several aquifer parameters and major, minor and trace elements studied, as well as the coexistence with other bacteria species. The results obtained from this work reinforce the concept of shallow geothermal resources as a clean energy source, as they could also provide the basis to control the pathogenic bacteria contents in groundwater bodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro García-Gil
- Geological Survey of Spain (IGME), C/ Manuel Lasala n° 44, 9° B, 50006 Zaragoza, Spain.
| | - Samanta Gasco-Cavero
- MRC Harwell Institute, Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Eduardo Garrido
- Geological Survey of Spain (IGME), C/ Manuel Lasala n° 44, 9° B, 50006 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Miguel Mejías
- Geological Survey of Spain (IGME), C/ Ríos Rosas 23, 28003 Madrid, Spain
| | - Jannis Epting
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Applied and Environmental Geology, University of Basel, Bernoullistr. 32, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Mercedes Navarro-Elipe
- Municipal Institute of Public Health of Zaragoza (Zaragoza City Council), Ctra. Cogullada 28, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Carmen Alejandre
- Municipal Institute of Public Health of Zaragoza (Zaragoza City Council), Ctra. Cogullada 28, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Elena Sevilla-Alcaine
- Municipal Institute of Public Health of Zaragoza (Zaragoza City Council), Ctra. Cogullada 28, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain
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Wells M, Lasek-Nesselquist E, Schoonmaker-Bopp D, Baker D, Thompson L, Wroblewski D, Nazarian E, Lapierre P, Musser KA. Insights into the long-term persistence of Legionella in facilities from whole-genome sequencing. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2018; 65:200-209. [PMID: 30075256 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2018.07.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2018] [Revised: 07/27/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the value of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analyses in determining the relationships among and evolutionary rates of Legionella species with long-term persistence in three healthcare facilities. We examined retrospective clinical and environmental isolates of Legionella micdadei and Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 isolates with identical PFGE DNA fingerprints sampled over the course of up to 18 years. WGS analyses demonstrated that heterogeneous populations of Legionella were present within each facility despite displaying the same PFGE profiles. Additionally, clustering of some clinical isolates with those from a separate but related institution exposed a source of infection not previously detected, underscoring the importance of considering phylogenetic relationships when assessing epidemiological links. The data supported an average substitution rate of 0.80 SNPs per genome per year for L. micdadei but a reliable estimate for L. pneumophila serogroup 1 could not be obtained due to complicating factors such as non-chronological links among isolates and inadequate sampling depths. While the substitution rate for L. micdadei is consistent with previous estimates for L. pneumophila, the lack of a temporal signal in our sequence data for L. pneuomphila serogroup 1 isolates suggests either insufficient change to provide an estimate or variable evolutionary rates, which could reflect the presence of both actively dividing and viable but non-culturable Legionella spp. in the built environment. This study highlights the increased discriminatory power of WGS SNP analysis as compared to PFGE, emphasizes the need for extended sampling, and provides insight into the evolution of Legionella from longitudinal investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Wells
- Union College, 807 Union St., Schenectady, NY 12308, USA
| | - Erica Lasek-Nesselquist
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, 120 New Scotland Ave., Albany, NY 12208, USA.
| | - Dianna Schoonmaker-Bopp
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, 120 New Scotland Ave., Albany, NY 12208, USA
| | - Deborah Baker
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, 120 New Scotland Ave., Albany, NY 12208, USA
| | - Lisa Thompson
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, 120 New Scotland Ave., Albany, NY 12208, USA
| | - Danielle Wroblewski
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, 120 New Scotland Ave., Albany, NY 12208, USA
| | - Elizabeth Nazarian
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, 120 New Scotland Ave., Albany, NY 12208, USA
| | - Pascal Lapierre
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, 120 New Scotland Ave., Albany, NY 12208, USA
| | - Kimberlee A Musser
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, 120 New Scotland Ave., Albany, NY 12208, USA
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Legionella Detection in Environmental Samples as an Example for Successful Implementation of qPCR. WATER 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/w10081012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Waterborne diseases are a serious threat because of their ability to infect a high number of individuals in a short time span, such as during outbreaks of Legionellosis. This significantly highlights the need for the rapid detection and quantification of bacteria in environmental water samples. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) for the detection of Legionellapneumophila (L. pneumophila) in environmental water samples and comparison of standard culture methods for Legionella detection with qPCR. Our study reached a negative predictive value (NPV) for L. pneumophila of 80.7% and for L. pneumophila serogroup 1 (sg1) the calculated NPV was 87.0%. The positive predictive value (PPV) for L. pneumophila was 53.9% and for L. pneumophila sg1 PPV was 21.4%. Results showed a correlation between qPCR and culture with an R2 value of 0.8973 for L. pneumophila, whereas no correlation was observed for the detection of L. pneumophila sg1. In our study, qPCR proved useful for the identification of L. pneumophila negative samples. However, despite the obvious benefits (sample handling, rapid generation of results), qPCR needs to be improved regarding the PPV before it can replace culture in water quality assessment.
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Torre I, Alfano R, Borriello T, De Giglio O, Iervolino C, Montagna MT, Scamardo MS, Pennino F. Environmental surveillance and in vitro activity of antimicrobial agents against Legionella pneumophila isolated from hospital water systems in Campania, South Italy: a 5-year study. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2018; 164:574-579. [PMID: 29625340 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2018.02.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2017] [Revised: 01/26/2018] [Accepted: 02/21/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Legionellosis' treatment failures have been recently reported showing the possibility of resistance development to traditional therapy, especially in healthcare related disease cases. Environmental impact of antibiotic residues, especially in hospital waters, may act on the resistome of Legionella resulting in developing resistance mechanisms. OBJECTIVES In this study we investigate the antibiotic susceptibility of environmental Legionella pneumophila (Lpn) strains isolated from hospital water systems in Campania, a region located in Southwest Italy. METHODS 5321 hospital water samples were investigated for the presence of Lpn. Among positive samples, antibiotic susceptibility was tested for a random subset of 125 Lpn strains (25 Lpn isolates from each of the following serogroups: 1, 3, 5, 6, 8). Susceptibility testing was performed, using the E-test on buffered charcoal yeast extract agar supplemented with α-ketoglutarate, for 10 antimicrobial drugs: azithromycin, cefotaxime, clarithromycin, doxycycline, erythromycin, rifampicin, tigecycline, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and moxifloxacin. Non parametric tests were used to determine and assess the significant differences in susceptibility to the different antimicrobics between the serogroups. RESULTS Among the isolated strains, none showed resistance to the antibiotics tested. Rifampicin was the most active antibiotic against overall Legionella strains, followed by levofloxacin. Between the macrolides the clarithromycin was overall the most active drug, instead the azithromycin was the less active. Analyzing the different serogroups a significant difference was found between serogroup 1 and non-1 serogroup isolates for doxycycline and tigecycline. CONCLUSIONS Antibiotic susceptibility of environmental isolates of Legionella spp. might be useful for the early detection of resistance to antibiotics that directly impacts on mortality and length of hospital stay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ida Torre
- Department of Public Health, University of Napoli "Federico II", Via S. Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy.
| | - Rossella Alfano
- Department of Public Health, University of Napoli "Federico II", Via S. Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Tonia Borriello
- Department of Public Health, University of Napoli "Federico II", Via S. Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Osvalda De Giglio
- Department of Biomedical Science and Human Oncology, Hygiene Section, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Italy
| | - Carmela Iervolino
- Department of Public Health, University of Napoli "Federico II", Via S. Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Teresa Montagna
- Department of Biomedical Science and Human Oncology, Hygiene Section, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Italy
| | - Marina Silvia Scamardo
- Department of Public Health, University of Napoli "Federico II", Via S. Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Francesca Pennino
- Department of Public Health, University of Napoli "Federico II", Via S. Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy
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Trundová M, Kovaľ T, Owens RJ, Fejfarová K, Dušková J, Kolenko P, Dohnálek J. Highly stable single-strand-specific 3'-nuclease/nucleotidase from Legionella pneumophila. Int J Biol Macromol 2018; 114:776-787. [PMID: 29580999 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2018.03.113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2018] [Revised: 03/19/2018] [Accepted: 03/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The Gram-negative bacterium Legionella pneumophila is one of the known opportunistic human pathogens with a gene coding for a zinc-dependent S1-P1 type nuclease. Bacterial zinc-dependent 3'-nucleases/nucleotidases are little characterized and not fully understood, including L. pneumophila nuclease 1 (Lpn1), in contrast to many eukaryotic representatives with in-depth studies available. To help explain the principle properties and role of these enzymes in intracellular prokaryotic pathogens we have designed and optimized a heterologous expression protocol utilizing E. coli together with an efficient purification procedure, and performed detailed characterization of the enzyme. Replacement of Ni2+ ions by Zn2+ ions in affinity purification proved to be a crucial step in the production of pure and stable protein. The production protocol provides protein with high yield, purity, stability, and solubility for structure-function studies. We show that highly thermostable Lpn1 is active mainly towards RNA and ssDNA, with pH optima 7.0 and 6.0, respectively, with low activity towards dsDNA; the enzyme features pronounced substrate inhibition. Bioinformatic and experimental analysis, together with computer modeling and electrostatics calculations point to an unusually high positive charge on the enzyme surface under optimal conditions for catalysis. The results help explain the catalytic properties of Lpn1 and its substrate inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mária Trundová
- Laboratory of Structure and Function of Biomolecules, Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Biocev, Průmyslová 595, 25250 Vestec, Czech Republic.
| | - Tomáš Kovaľ
- Laboratory of Structure and Function of Biomolecules, Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Biocev, Průmyslová 595, 25250 Vestec, Czech Republic.
| | - Raymond J Owens
- OPPF-UK, The Research Complex at Harwell, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxfordshire, UK.
| | - Karla Fejfarová
- Laboratory of Structure and Function of Biomolecules, Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Biocev, Průmyslová 595, 25250 Vestec, Czech Republic.
| | - Jarmila Dušková
- Laboratory of Structure and Function of Biomolecules, Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Biocev, Průmyslová 595, 25250 Vestec, Czech Republic.
| | - Petr Kolenko
- Laboratory of Structure and Function of Biomolecules, Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Biocev, Průmyslová 595, 25250 Vestec, Czech Republic.
| | - Jan Dohnálek
- Laboratory of Structure and Function of Biomolecules, Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Biocev, Průmyslová 595, 25250 Vestec, Czech Republic.
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50
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Abu Khweek A, Amer AO. Factors Mediating Environmental Biofilm Formation by Legionella pneumophila. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2018. [PMID: 29535972 PMCID: PMC5835138 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2018.00038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Legionella pneumophila (L. pneumophila) is an opportunistic waterborne pathogen and the causative agent for Legionnaires' disease, which is transmitted to humans via inhalation of contaminated water droplets. The bacterium is able to colonize a variety of man-made water systems such as cooling towers, spas, and dental lines and is widely distributed in multiple niches, including several species of protozoa In addition to survival in planktonic phase, L. pneumophila is able to survive and persist within multi-species biofilms that cover surfaces within water systems. Biofilm formation by L. pneumophila is advantageous for the pathogen as it leads to persistence, spread, resistance to treatments and an increase in virulence of this bacterium. Furthermore, Legionellosis outbreaks have been associated with the presence of L. pneumophila in biofilms, even after the extensive chemical and physical treatments. In the microbial consortium-containing L. pneumophila among other organisms, several factors either positively or negatively regulate the presence and persistence of L. pneumophila in this bacterial community. Biofilm-forming L. pneumophila is of a major importance to public health and have impact on the medical and industrial sectors. Indeed, prevention and removal protocols of L. pneumophila as well as diagnosis and hospitalization of patients infected with this bacteria cost governments billions of dollars. Therefore, understanding the biological and environmental factors that contribute to persistence and physiological adaptation in biofilms can be detrimental to eradicate and prevent the transmission of L. pneumophila. In this review, we focus on various factors that contribute to persistence of L. pneumophila within the biofilm consortium, the advantages that the bacteria gain from surviving in biofilms, genes and gene regulation during biofilm formation and finally challenges related to biofilm resistance to biocides and anti-Legionella treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arwa Abu Khweek
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Birzeit University, West Bank, Palestine
| | - Amal O Amer
- Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity, Center for Microbial Interface Biology, College of Medicine, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
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